Old South Meeting House was constructed in 1729 as a Puritan house of worship, at the same spot where Cedar Meeting House once stood. At the time of completion, Old South was the largest edifice and meeting place in colonial Boston. Old South Meeting House, fondly called "Old South," is closely associated with the history of Boston. As a meeting place and a haven for free speech and assembly, Old South had been in continuous use for more than 250 years. It was the venue for many a religious, political, and social debate in the past. Home to a vibrant parish, the Trinity Church - Boston was also founded prior to the American Revolution. But the house’s hour of fame was in the winter of 1773, when more than 5,000 colonists gathered there in a meeting to protest the tax on tea. It was the beginning of a series of events that eventually led to the Boston Tea Party. That was an occurrence that had changed the currents of American history forever. The church remained functioning in Old South until the early 1870s, when its congregation moved to a new church in Back Bay. After the shifting of the church, the building was less attended and was in shambles by the mid 1870s. Bostonians, however, rallied to rescue Old South. Subsequently, a non-profit organization, the Old South Association, was formed to save and preserve the building, and to continue its affiliation with the exercise of free speech. Today, Old South Meeting House is a National Historic Landmark and a museum, where the debates that paved way to the decision to dump tea into the harbor are re-created.